The End of Cinema The subject of my argument divided the audience into two opinions. The first sees that the cinema is still, but the view has changed. The second old school team says that the film should be screened in the cinema only to deserve the label at least.

The split has reached top Hollywood directors such as Steven Spielberg, Martin Scusese and Ridley Scott. I do not want to speak the language of dry numbers, but I will present the subject in a way that everyone understands.

Yes, cinema as we know it is over, this reality and the signs all emerged in this decade more than any decade since the emergence of the first challenge in the fifties in the form of television.

1 - The emergence of smart phones and devices, "iPad" in the form of millions of small screens attracted large audiences, especially young people because it displays content according to the desire of the user and his time and not vice versa.

2 - The emergence of platforms specialized in the presentation of films on the Internet, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu, and even these platforms are challenging the cinema with the presentation of original content can not be found only on them.

3 - The superiority of television texts on the cinema, which caused the transfer of known cinema items to television, the most important category of historical epics (the game of Arush) and the category of crime (CSI and Breaking Bad) and others, and the category of politics and espionage (24, Homeland and the House of Cards).

4 - The transition of well-known directors to Internet TV, such as Scorsese, who said that these platforms give him creative freedoms more than the traditional studios that interfere in everything.

5 - Superhero movies dominate the international galleries, the disappearance of medium and small films and their transition to television.

6. Some lounges have turned into non-cinematic content such as World Cup, boxing or the Oscars, suggesting that cinema is doing its best to attract an audience that has left and gone to the television. This is a concession and acknowledgment that the showrooms suffer from low turnout, especially if you try watching a movie in the middle of the week, often you will find yourself alone in the lounge or with a maximum of 10 people.

This is what happens today. My expectations for the coming years are as follows:

1 - The bankruptcy of some cinemas, and other focus on spices more than the content to attract the audience, such as the expansion of the establishment of 4DX galleries and the introduction of virtual reality experience to the cinema.

2 - The film was launched in conjunction with the service of home broadcast (Netflix and its competitors), except superhero movies or movies that accompany the spices mentioned above.

3 - Some film studios are coming out of the distribution market and turning them into production for Internet TV platforms, with the exception of Disney, which will compete in both markets.

4. Film festivals may remain as a professional gathering and meet the requirement that the film qualifies for the competition of the prizes to be screened at such festivals.

In 2050 you will sit with your grandchildren to tell them about the day you went with their grandmother or your friends to spend beautiful moments in the dark hall to watch movies. They will ask you with surprise: Did you really drive there and pay for the ticket and sit with strangers to watch the film?!? Keep the ticket of the last movie you saw at least in the cinema to record your last use of an invention of the 20th century!

In 2050 you will sit with your grandchildren to tell them about the day you went with their grandmother or your friends to spend beautiful moments in the dark auditorium watching movies.

Abdulla.AlQamzi@emaratalyoum.com

To read the previous articles of the writer please click on its name .